Haiku Dialogue: What’s at Hand Week 19

Let’s talk about haiku! Through June 26 we will see what 21 common objects can inspire.

Our theme for June 12 is a glass bottle.

Immerse yourself in the theme, then submit one original, unpublished haiku via our Contact Form. Please submit by Saturday, June 8 at 6:00 pm eastern time. Include your name as you would like it to appear and your place of residence.

By submitting you agree that your work may appear in the column — neither acknowledgment nor acceptance emails will be sent.

I will select haiku that make good use of the theme and that are likely to generate lively discussions. I’ll add some thoughts below each week’s selections to get the conversation started.

everyone different
everyone the same
leaves through the rest home window

Stephen A. Peters

crumbling maple leaf
last year’s remnant captured
by a growing bush

Susan Bonk Plumridge
London, Canada

fall…in…….leaf

Susan Rogers
Los Angeles, CA, USA

ferrying home . . .
dragonfly on a leaf
on a kayak

Taofeek Ayeyemi (Aswagaawy)
Port Harcourt, Nigeria

moist leaf on the ground
all the colors
of decomposition

Tomislav Sjekloća,
Cetinje, Montenegro

fallen –
a leaf on the tomb
of the Unknown Soldier

Valentina Ranaldi-Adams
Fairlawn, Ohio, USA

a fallen leaf
from the school notebook
summer break

Zdenka Mlinar

The fallen leaf theme generated the greatest number of submissions to date for the What’s at Hand series, and the quality of the submissions was quite high. We clearly have a shared affinity for the falling of leaves.

I chose to put forth this prompt as we approach summer in the northern hemisphere, because I wondered what alternatives might crop up to the falling of leaves in autumn. Zdenka Mlinar provided an interesting one. A different kind of leaf falling for a different reason at the start of summer. Cool!

In contrast, Susan Rogers did the autumn season justice with three well-chosen and well-placed words. If spring can be in bloom, why not fall in leaf? Or, taken another way, is not a fallen leaf our go-to symbol for autumn?

Falling leaves remind us that time keeps bringing us closer to the end, and Rashmi Vesa captures this quite neatly in her haiku. It makes me wonder, if our lifelines were really accurate, how differently would we live?

But the changing seasons do more than remind us of time’s passage. Could there be a spring if there was no fall? Carol Raisfeld presents renewal beautifully as new life filling emptiness. Something life does quite well.

Lastly, I was utterly charmed by Angelo B. Ancheta’s “daydreaming.” It was nicely reminiscent of Issa. I can’t help but wonder, is it just the poet who daydreams? Or does the staring sparrow do so also?

With all these haiku, where does your mind drift? Please join the conversation below.

Guest Editor Craig Kittner lives near the banks of the Cape Fear River in Wilmington, North Carolina. He has worked as a gallery director in Washington, DC, and a program director for the Kentucky Arts Council. He took second prize in the North Carolina Poetry Society Bloodroot Haiku Award for 2019.

Katherine Munro lives in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, and publishes under the name kjmunro. She is Membership Secretary for Haiku Canada and an Associate Member of the League of Canadian Poets. She co-edited an anthology of crime-themed haiku called Body of Evidence: a collection of killer ’ku.

I am reminded, too, that sometimes….when i work with my herbs, ie. basil….i remove the bottom leaves of a living branch, dip the stem in water and very soon roots grow from where the leaves were removed. And then a whole new plant is formed.

I love how gravity pulls at the falling leaf and suggests the pull between two people in

falling leaves
between you and me
gtavity’s pull

–jackie chou

and I love the leap from falling leaves to heaven..the child’s unspoken question about what happens after the end of things

leafall-
my child asks
about heaven

Roberta Beary

and I admire this haiku which carries
so many shades of meaning…might be a gold leaf that fell and was used as symbolic decoration or maybe the celebration is outside under golden trees and the leaf just fell among the dishes:

golden anniversary
a fallen leaf
on the tablecloth

Deborah P. Kolodji

and I loved the flight of swing and leaf
in his haiku of synchronicity

this one is amazing, thank you Debbie Strange for the gift of reading this fabulous haiku. And congrats for your win and other contributions in the otherworldly intergalactic haiku space theme video game.

This does indeed read like a collection. You’ve organized it beautifully to flow from one to another. So many wonderful ones but here are my favorites. And thanks for including my haiku.

fallen leaf
a piece of time
we’ve forgotten

C.A. Harper
.
I love the connection here between lost memories and the natural passage of time represented by the leaf. Nice one!
.
.
unmarked grave . . .
a thousand red maples
offer their leaves

Debbie Strange
Canada
.
Debbie, you’ve given us a beautiful tribute to those lost in battle. The red of the maples, the fallen leaves like the fallen soldiers, and a reminder to remove our hats in respect for their loss. Especially poignant today.
.
.
swing set
calling it flying
the arc of a maple leaf

Laurie Greer
Washington DC
.
What a wonderful image you’ve created Laurie! That wild feeling of almost breaking free on the swing. Thanks!
.
.
fallen leaf
a galleon
on the river

nancy liddle
australia
.
Large to small. I never would have made this connection, but now, thanks to Nancy, I will have it whenever I see a leaf floating along.
.
.

I wanted to give a shout out to Martha’s toad. We have cane toads in my part of the world. They are large and it may be an understatement to say they are ugly. They are large, have bumpy skin, and a mottled brownish exterior. I never knew what to call this color, but thanks to Martha, I see it resembles a decaying autumn leaf. I am very fond of these toads. Some live on our property. We have to watch our driveway. Headlights may freeze them up and you have to strategize to get them off the road. I’m glad Martha’s toad was on a more secure pathway. I love that haiku can send you into a different world or memory that turns out to be so rich.
I enjoyed the haiku in this series. Falling or fallen leaves are so evocative, the end of a joyous life.
Thanks, Craig, for including mine!

fallen leaf
my son presents another
folded flag
.
B Shropshire
TX
.
Poignant. This one refers to the U. S. flag that is presented to the relative, of someone who has served in the military, at the person’s funeral services. The meaning is there without using the words military or funeral.

fallen leaf
my son presents another
folded flag
.
B Shropshire
.
This is excellent.
The middle line pivot oscillating between innocence (of a youngster) and solemnity, and the obvious but profound link between the metaphorical leaf and symbolic flag.
All in a neatly packaged read.

fallen leaves
on the floor
her last book
Debbie Scheving
.
I can see my 92 year old mom, “reading” an illustrated book on birds I’ve sent, and allowing it to fall to the floor as she takes her last breath. Strong image, Debbie. Thank you.
.
fallen leaf
my son presents another
folded flag
B. Shropshire
.
What a respectful way to handle a very controversial subject! Excellent poetry, B.
.
unmarked grave . . .
a thousand red maples
offer their leaves
Debbie Strange
.
Nature never forgets its own. A touching poem, Debbie!
.
.
No, I’m not attempting to set any records here. It’s just that the first time I typed all of these in one post, it didn’t post !!! So I reposted multiple times.
.
I could comment on many others, there were so many inspiring poems this week, but I’m sure addition comments will be forthcoming!
.
Ron

a wind blown leaf
stuck to my window
a child’s handprint
Jo El
.
I see this as a child placing her/his hand opposite a leaf sticking to the outside of a window (and not simply a metaphor) and the child showing wonderment with this action! Nice poem, Jo El. My favorite this week.
.
falling leaves
between you and me
gravity’s pull
Jackie Chou
.
A really nice picture of attraction, a force that can be difficult to break in a strong relationship.
.
family reunion
the wind returns a leaf
to its branch
Edward Cody
.
A very nice picture of the opposite of “fallen.” Returning to a family is returning to a branch as well as returning to your roots! Maybe this person had fallen earlier, but it welcomed back!
.
Wonderful poems this week.
Ron

heat wave
a daydream of falling
leaves
Rich Schilling
.
This is one daydream I can get into! Nice poem, Rich.
.
a fallen leaf
I search for the lifeline
on my palm
Rashmi Vesa
.
What a great connection, Rashmi, between the structure of nature and our body.
.
leaf falling . . .
thinking about my past
how it settled
Muskaan Ahuja
.
Nature makes us contemplate our lives. Despite some negative past actions we know there are yet other leaves to fall with positive memories in which to revel!
.
Many fine poems this week!
Ron

everyone different
everyone the same
leaves through the rest home window
Stephen A. Peters
.
I visit my 92 year old mother in a St. Louis area Alzheimers unit each year. What an appropriate way to characterize her situation! Thank you, Stephen.
.
fallen leaves . . .
a toddler breaks
the silence
Srinivasa Rao
.
Whether a child or a neighbor’s loud music, one’s reverie is often broken. But it is not lost forever!
.
leafall –
my child asks
about heaven
Roberta Beary
.
I love poems about children! What a nice connection between different aspects of a child’s curiosity.
.
Nice poetry, everyone!
Ron

a fallen leaf
from the school notebook
summer break
Zdenka Mlinar
.
Schools out! Who cares? Nice poem, Zdenka.
.
fallen –
a leaf on the tomb
of the Unknown Soldier
Valentina Ranaldi-Adams
.
This tomb will always be remembered . . . in many ways.
.
moist leaf on the ground
all the colors
of decomposition
Tomislav Sjekloca
.
As a volunteer at the Cincinnati Nature Center, I see decomposition all the time. Nature can be beautiful, even in death.
.
Nice poetry.
Ron

Thank you Craig for including my haiku on fallen leaf this week! It was interesting to have fallen leaf as a theme. Sometimes writing a haiku out of season, relying on memory, can lead to more reflective haiku, at least for me. Direct perception often stymies me. I particularly liked

Wow, this read like a collection this week. I enjoyed each one. Thank you for including mine.
.
moist leaf on the ground
all the colors
of decomposition
.
Tomislav Sjekloca
Cetinje, Montenegro
.
This reminded me of walking in wet late autumn. Loved “colors of decomposition” read out loud.
.
fallen leaf
the gold rim of cup
is wiped
.
Serhiy Shpychenko
Kyiv, UA
.
I imagined a cherished worn gold leaf trimmed cup, perhaps a tea cup.
.
swing set
calling it flying
the arc of a maple leaf
.
Laurie Greer
.
I loved the movement of arc with the swings.
.
fallen leaf
a piece of time
we’ve forgotten
.
C.A. Harper
.
This one prompted reflection.
.
And I related to Pris Campbell’s ” …piece of autumn…” and Stephen A. Peters’ “…everyone…” nursing home experience.